Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-08
THE BABY.
A Series OF Letters from Marion Ear
land to Those Who are the Mothers
OF Immortal Beings.
Showing OH Babies-The Dangers of
Prscocity - Baby Bon Mots Tho
Way to "stop" Children.
Copyright, 1887, by the Autr or.


and accomplishments is natural and beau
tlful. The exhibition OF it bores a great
many people, but then psssabIe num-
Der make allowances for her, swal-
lowing their yarns and remem-
bering classic Cornelis's un6iguised
pride in her "jewels," who, By the
way. dropped out of their settings prema-
turely through the desire, early instilled,
o keep themselves before the people. a
pious minority, friends of humanity and
! human babies, sympathize' with the dot
| ing parent. Nobody ever died OF bore
dOm-near as some of US came to it-so
mammals desire to show off the incom-
/ parable points of her offspring really
harms no one but the marionette she
works. There is nc better way known to
the race for converting a bright, interest
/ ing child into nuisance.
To do the puppet justice he does not, at
first, take kindly to the business. Native
Discrimination TO the role crops out so
constantly that it has passed into 8 nur-
Sery prOYerb. "Why will children not
show off when they should?" sigh ex-
hi5itOrs. The answer is ready: Because
they are wiser in their generation than
their elders and would-be guides. The
Inconsistencies of infancy is like the vel
Vety, almost invisible do WI that makes the
| touch Of the haby's cheek a luxury, en-
HANGING, while it nantes the deiicacV of
! the skin. Remove it, and q coarse,
! rOughened Cuticle is left. Your baby's
| gam DOls and sayings are perennial spring
/ breezes IN the house, the only fresh and
| original things in life from which the
velvet is pretty effectually rubbed by the
frosts and friction of forty or fiftv
winters. Heaven be praised for the
infusion OF new young blood into our
shrunken veins through the instrument
tsility of our children and children's
children. But home is h0me-a "gerden
/ inclOSed," wherein ia "such sweet
and pleasant soil" as the old hymns tells
US bounds in Paradise, flourish the best
loves and virtues, and the finest order of
happiness sin has spared to the world.
We deSecrate the name and the reality
when we make Of it conservatory open
to the public stare and criticism. Let
baby grow naturally. Tram him gently,
prune Judiciously when necessary, but
never force his budding powers. EncOur-
age him to pratt!e in the nursery.
Do not let him declaim on the stage.
We all know the method DfshONiDg off.
Robby, amusing himself in building q
block-castle in his play-c0rner, is
snatChed away from it without apology,
his face and hands are scrubbed, his hair
! brushed, his protesting frame thrust into
clean frock, and before he can recall his
| 'fushed" wits he finds himself on exhi-
bitiOn in the unfamiliar pail RS. He is
fortunate if the spectator who could
not think of going without seeing
the precious petsey-wetsey," does
not swuCp shriekingly upon him, suf-
focate him with kisses and strangle him
with embraces. Unless phenomenally
amiable or stupid, the devoted child
struggles to escape, and succeeding, runs
to his mother, buries his face in her
gown, and repels further Overtures.
Mamma soothes, brides and scolds his
ideas into shape. "He is not shy ger
erally," apologies the chsgrined modern
CorneIa. "When he knows you better,
he will talk fast enough. Nov Robby! |
Tell the lady the story Of Little Red Rid
ing Hood" or "the pretty verse you |
learned yesterday" or, etc, etc, etc ,
etc.
RObby needs much persussion-perhaps |
yields sulkily-perhaps remains stubborn
iy proof against all seductive arts. When |
prlmeG by vanity, re graciously consents |
to be put through his PAGES, his memory |
is hard pushed to furnish what he has |
learned by rOte, and his imagination |
racked to supply imprOmptu replies. He !.
pipes his ballad, tells his story, shrilis his |
"pieCe," and is usually ineb rated by fiat |
terry into buff0Onery and impertinence. |
The curtain falls upon an uncUmeIy tab !
leau, and mamma conducts an unruly |
boy back TO the nursery, wonders fret |
fully "Why children never known when !
to stop"
"Sse hyar, dad! who begun dis hyar |
war;" whimpered the small darkey whose /
parent objected to the bite dealt by the |
teeth of the lad he was Clicking" II |
RObby'S powers OF ratiocination were |
wIat his mother believes them to be, he |
would take up SambO's line of retOrt. |
Discretion IS, or should be, the offspring |
Of mature years. RObby'S tale of months
warrants no expectations in this quarter. !
Mamma should not begin the war of wits |
ana tongues.
III the baby enjoys pOStuUDg and pratt |
lug before an audience, the symptoms are
more serious than whel the dawn OF self
consciousness makes him uneasy and !
naughty" Growing by what it feeds
upon, his self cOnceit speedily attains ab-
normal proportions. He is not happy
unless kept in the foreground and piled
necessarily with praise. If no one else will
vaunt his accomplishments and retail bis
bon mOts, he sounds his own trumpet.
Mamma" cried a youngster of this type,
pinching her arm when the conversation
strayed from his performances. "Say.
tell the ladies some more that said!"
"My bird died last night" said little
girl to me, with mOurnful smlrk, more
cOmiCal than | can describe. 81 just
screamed and hollered and lay down on
the floor and rolled, Mamma told Mrs.
this morning she was really afraid
l would have conYulsiOns. she said she
never knew anybody who had so much
feeling as me-"
When the exhibited article is OF the
feminine gender, coy and coquettish
tucks give flavor to the entertainment if
there is a man in the room. The sweet
est, daintiest, most bewi5ching plaything
on the earth-a loving, well-msnnered girl
ahild-is stlfened and inflated into min
iaypre flirt, vers-d in the fOOleries that
disgrace veteran coquettes- OF
admiration, rating kisses and
smiles at the highest price they
Will bring. AS she grows older,
what was amusing becomes offensive.
Mortified mamma has to hold her in and
put her down, lsmentlng, with R)bbv's
maternal progenitOr, that 'children never
understand when to stop" The best
way of "stopping" them is not to let them
get started. Yet, where one mother errs
by REFRESHING her little ones in the pres
ence of others than the family, 100 OBJ
trude them upon the notice of friends and
acquaintances.
49, Iorz f0rIV p